ALABAMA: A State of Symbols

From a homegrown horse to homemade whiskey, a mammoth monster to a tiny butterfly, a fighting fish to a celebrated rock, Alabama is a land of symbols. Some are heroic, others are inspiring and a few take the cake. Actually, one is a cake. 

State Dessert: The Lane cake

In 1898, Clayton, Alabama’s Emma Rylander Lane entered her cake in a county fair contest. Winning the event was just the beginning. Word spread about the confectionary delight akin to fruitcake on steroids. The Lane cake received statewide and national acclaim. 

The Lane cake is mentioned in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and became a favorite of President Jimmy Carter who served it in the White House.  In Alabama the cake became a favorite dessert.

“Making a Lane cake is not too difficult,” says Denise Cochran Fisher, social media host of “South Alabama Cooking.” “But you must have everything just right. Use only egg whites and whip those whites until they have peaks. That gives it a lightness and freshness.”

The cake, which includes raisins, coconut, pecans, and bourbon (or grape juice for the meek), was designated our State Dessert in 2016. Read more about Lane cake in the May 2022 Alabama Living.

State Spirit: Clyde May’s Whiskey

Formerly Conecuh Ridge Alabama Fine Whiskey, Clyde May’s Whiskey is our brew of distinction.

In the early 2000s, several Alabama legislators pushed Clyde May’s brand to claim official designation of State Spirit. “I think they wanted the brand, not just for the spirit of the whisky, but for the spirit of the man who made it,” notes L.C. May, Clyde May’s grandson. 

The elder May manufactured and sold his brew illegally and served prison time for doing so. He was also a devout family man and served in the U.S. Army with honors.

Clyde May died in 1990. His whisky is now sold legally.

The beverage of benevolence gained state officiality in 2004 but not without a fight. Gov. Bob Riley vetoed the legislature’s selection. The governor did not want the state’s official drink to be a brand name. He was overruled. 

Clyde May’s Whiskey became our official spirit in 2004.

State Fossil: Basilosaurus cetoide

Behold, Basilosaurus cetoide, a prehistoric whale, creature of nightmares, and our State Fossil. 

“This was a monster,” notes Alabama Natural History Museum Director, Dr. John Friel, about the whale that ruled 35 million years ago. “It was a top predator in its day.” 

A life-sized replica of the 60 foot-long beast is suspended from the Tuscaloosa-based museum’s ceiling. The museum’s curator of paleontology, Dr. Adiel A. Klompmaker, adds, “The species was declared the State Fossil in 1984 because it is fairly common in Alabama.” 

State Insect: The Monarch Butterfly

Many consider the monarch butterfly as a lovely, dainty, frequently fluttering winged bug. Lovely they are. Dainty they are not.

“They are beautiful and rugged,” notes Carmen Flammini, Alabama Cooperative Extension agent. “Monarchs fly from Alabama, around the Gulf of America, onward to Mexico, and back to Alabama. That’s a 2,000 mile trip.”

Thanks to Alabama schoolchildren, who pressured the State Legislature, the monarch was designated the State Insect in 1989. The well-traveled bug is a worthy symbol of hope, resilience and beauty.

The monarch is often confused with the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly, our state mascot, also designated in 1989. We also have a State Agricultural Insect – the
Queen Honeybee.

State Mammal: The American Black Bear

In 2006 the State Legislature designated a State Mammal. Selection criteria included an animal indicative of Alabama’s rich biodiversity and ecology. Debate was short. The American Black Bear was perfect.

“Black bears are all of that and more,” notes Chris Jessee about the state’s designation. The Saraland resident and professional bear photographer adds, “To me, the appeal of black bears is their strength and independence. They do their own thing.

“Bears are not afraid of a stick breaking in the woods because they are the biggest thing in the woods and they know it. They are not nervous.”

Courage, strength, and peaceful coexistence are exemplified by ’Bama’s bears, a worthy symbol indeed.

State Rock: Marble

Actually we have several stones of distinction. The state gemstone is the star blue quartz. The state mineral is hematite. But when it comes to pure rock-steady beauty, nothing beats the marvel of marble, designated our state rock in 1969. 

“Anywhere you see pure white marble, it’s probably from Sylacauga,” says Judy Green, director of Sylacauga’s Comer Museum and Arts Center. “Our marble is all over the world.”

The world includes Washington D.C. where Sylacauga’s marble adorns the Lincoln Memorial, the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, and the Supreme Court Building. 

State Bird: The Yellowhammer

Also known as the northern flicker, the yellowhammer is our official state bird, as designated in 1927.

“The name derives from its yellow tail feathers and yellow patches on its wings,” notes  Ralph Havard, president of the Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuaries. The “hammer” part of its name comes from the bird’s tapping on trees. 

Havard adds, “Alabama made a good choice with the yellowhammer as state bird. They are strikingly beautiful.”

State Reptile: The Red-Bellied Turtle

In 2005, the Alabama Legislature approved the red-bellied turtle (pictured in the Table of Contents on page 2) as our state reptile because of its uniqueness in our state.  Mobile and Baldwin counties are among the few places on earth where the red-bellied turtle exists. 

“Even in our area, reds are not widely scattered,” notes Dr. David Nelson, associate professor emeritus, Department of Biology, University of South Alabama. “They are a federally protected species.”

It is also a chain-link fence protected species. As noted by Dr. Nelson, “female red-bellied turtles are aquatic and only visit shore to seek elevated dry land to lay eggs.” Unfortunately, roads are elevated on dry land and lure turtles to their demise.
The Alabama Department of Transportation installed fencing at red bellied turtle-laden road areas to prevent death by asphalt.

State Horse: The Racking Horse

“The racking horse originated in Alabama. It is the only breed that calls Alabama home,” says Bill Stricklen, president of the Racking Horse Breeders Association of America, headquartered in Decatur.  

He adds, “the Racking Horse is very gentle, people-oriented, with a great disposition, and has an impressive stride.” 

The breed was officially recognized by the USDA in 1971 and designated Alabama’s official State Horse in 1975.

State Flower: The Camellia

A Japanese import, the camellia found favor with Alabamians in the 1800s. By the 1900s, our botanical pink passion reached a fevered pitch. 

In 1949 Butler County’s Greenville Men’s Camellia Society attempted to replace the state’s unofficial flower, the goldenrod – nature’s sneeze machine – with the camellia.  The legislative drive failed, due to lingering resentment about World War II and Pearl Harbor.

Undeterred, the society spent the next decade building camellia support. The Greenville Camellia Society’s president, Jan Newton, recalls, “People conducted mass plantings, held camellia shows, and continuously lobbied the state.” 

Greenville’s pink perseverance worked. In 1959, Governor John Patterson signed off on the camellia, which become the state’s official flower. In January, Alabama’s governor was honored with a camellia named in her honor, the Governor Kay Ivey Camellia.

State Saltwater Fish: The Fighting Tarpon

Few lay claim to fresh and saltwater symbols in the same state. Alabama can.

The fighting tarpon was designated in 1955 as Alabama’s official saltwater fish. Chris Blankenship, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, notes about this feisty fighter, “They play an important role in the state’s outdoors economy by drawing seasonal anglers from across the country. Tarpon are also known for putting up a strong fight, which makes them an appropriate symbol to represent Alabama.”

State Freshwater Fish: The Largemouth Bass

“When you think of fishing in Alabama, the largemouth bass is at the top of the list for anglers throughout the country,” adds Commissioner Blankenship about the 1975 inductee. “This fish, maybe more than any other game animal, bonds us through shared experiences in the outdoors. It is a fitting emblem for outdoor recreation in Alabama.” 

State Crustacean: The Brown Shrimp 

    Blankenship continues, “Typically brown shrimp make up the largest share of commercial shrimp landings each year, pumping tens of millions of dollars into the state’s economy. The shrimpers who supply our seafood industry with this delicious crustacean reflect the hard work and determination Alabama is known for.”

These are but a few of Alabama’s State Symbols. Others include: 

State Amphibian, the Red Hills Salamander

State Fruit, blackberry

State Game Bird, Eastern Wild Turkey

State Marine Mammal, West Indian Manatee

State Nut, the pecan

State Outdoor Drama, “The Miracle Worker”

State Shell, the Johnstone’s Junonia

And many more.

State Song: Alabama

We close with the State Song, “Alabama.” Sadly, “Alabama,” for many years taught to and sung by countless Alabama public schoolchildren, is seldom performed anymore. Over the years state government leaders have attempted to replace the ballad in favor of something more contemporary. Suggestions included “Sweet Home Alabama,” “My Home’s in Alabama,” and “Stars Fell on Alabama.” All failed.

“Alabama” was penned in 1931 by Julia Tutwiler, educator, writer, and women’s prison reform advocate. Tutwiler Prison is named for her.

The song’s lyrics open and close with “Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee!” Certainly “symbolic” words to live by.